I Told You So
by twiinklestar
Summary: Songfic to "I Told You So" by Keith Urban. AxA


I Told You So

**I Told You So**

The memory was still clear as a crystal in his mind. The picture was painted in permanent marker and it would never be erased from his line of vision. The memory sometimes haunted him in his dreams but it didn't occur as often as it used to. It had gotten better. He had even seen a councilor to get over the issue. If only _she_ hadn't shown up tonight maybe he would have been cured from the memory forever.

--

_You said you needed your space__  
__I wasn't where you wanted to be__  
__I didn't stand in your way__  
__I only want you to be happy__  
__And so how surprised am I__  
__To see you here tonight_

--

Archie was sitting on his old, wrecked couch in his parents basement when there was a knock at the basement door.

"It's open 'ma!" he shouted through the blasted football game he was currently watching on his flat screen TV.

"No it isn't Archie! Come and unlock this door, this instant!" his mother yelled at him.

After the scenario, Archie had never gone back to being a normal person. He was always grumpy or angry or sometimes he just slept in and didn't even bother to wake up in the mornings. He never looked for somebody to marry or somewhere to live. He was a twenty-seven year old man still living in his parents basement, sulking the years away.

Archie growled and paused the game before trudging up the stairs to unlock the door.

"Damnit 'ma! I was watching the game!" Archie said, not even turning to look at his mother after opening the door.

"Archie, you have a visitor." His mother said sweetly.

"I don't need any councilors or psychiatrists or whatever you want me to talk to. I'm fine and I'm over her. Now go away and leave me to sulk in peace!"

"Archie dear, it's not a councilor or a psychiatrist. Not even anybody that wants to help you to deal with any of that mumbo jumbo past of yours. She's a very nice girl that has come to visit."

Archie stopped mid-step. "Whaa-?" he mumbled confusedly. Slowly he turned around to see _her_.

_Oh, cant you see__  
__That for worse, or for better,__  
__We're better together__  
__Please, just come back home__  
__No, don't say that you're sorry__  
__And I won't say I told you so_

--

Deep down, even though he pretended to be okay, he knew he wasn't. He just couldn't take talking to some- some- snoop, about his terrible past. It was always the same thing.

"And how do you feel about that?" They always asked.

How do they think he fucking felt? Happy? Joyous? Like going out and having a huge celebration? What were they? Stupid? Every time he heard that line he wanted to punch someone out; to just tackle them to the ground and beat them unconscious. The moment that he caught _them_ doing the unthinkable, he felt like shit. He felt like he would die, right there and then. He wanted to die. He wanted her to die. He wanted him to die. He wanted the whole world to just blow up in one massive explosion caused by either himself or Cronus.

All those days he spent cowering on the couch, crying his eyes out; all the days he spent weeping as the hurt in his heart grew stronger; was all because of her; her and that stupid, stupid leader of his. How could she do that to him? How could he have done that to Theresa? Had they both gone insane?

And now, here she was, standing at the top of the staircase wanting to talk to him! Yep, she had definitely lost all forms of sanity. Was he going to talk to her? No. No sir he was not.

But then he remembered how good she made him feel. All their good times. All the good times that they went through, together. How happy they were when they had confessed their feelings; their love. But he was shown how untrue that was when she betrayed him with that trader of a leader. But they would have been happy, maybe even happily married with two children: one boy and one girl, with a house with a white picket fence, if only she hadn't cheated him. But what would happen if he forgave her? Would he ever?

Even if she had betrayed him though, he still loved her. He always would. He wished he wouldn't but he couldn't help himself. That smile, that laugh. He loved everything about her. Oddly, he thought that her betrayal only made him develop a stronger hold on her.

But right now, he wanted to forget about the past and start over new. He wished that there was some way to go back in time. But there wasn't. So he'd just have to pretend that nothing ever happened and start over new.

--

_Sometimes in our life__  
__We get to where we wonder if__  
__The long road that we're on__  
__Is headin' in the same direction__  
__Well, when it comes to you and me__  
__We're right where I know we should be___

_Oh, cant you see__  
__That for worse, or for better,__  
__We're better together__  
__Please, just come back home__  
__No, don't say that you're sorry__  
__And I won't say I told you so_

--

In the back of his mind he still wondered what would happen if he gave her a second chance. What would happen if he let her in only to have her let him down once again? What if she betrayed him and broke his heart again, for a second time?

But even with all those possibilities present, he wanted to let her in. He wanted to love her again. He wanted to trust her and be able to do things with her. He still wanted to marry her.

"Let her in." He said, more to himself than anyone else.

Archie's mother turned around to the girl.

"Go on now and don't take no bullshit from him either." She winked before moving out of the way for her to walk past.

Atlanta cautiously walked down the stairs to where Archie was once again, sitting on the couch watching the game. She sat down on the opposite side of the couch and fiddled with her thumbs awkwardly. She also found something interesting about her shoes for the time being and stared intently at them.

"So..." she started off.

Archie couldn't hold it in any longer. He had to find out why.

"How could you? Was I not good enough for you? What did I ever do to you?" He yelled, but his yelling quieted down towards the end. "But overall, how could you do it with him, him of all people? I thought you were better than that Lan."

"I am better then that Archie. It's just..." She was lost for words.

"It's just what? You couldn't stand falling in love with a purple haired dork? You were embarrassed by me weren't you?"

Atlanta gasped. "Of course not Archie! You were my best friend. How could I be embarrassed? How could you think that?"

"How could you _do_ that?"

"I didn't mean to. It just happened. One minute he was telling me about how much he loved Theresa and the next we're on his bed having -having sex!"

"How do you go from talking about the love of your life to having sex with her best friend?" Archie scowled.

"I- I- I don't know Archie. I was confused. I wasn't even aware of what I was doing until you... walked in."

"Oh and what a pretty sight that was. My best friend and my girlfriend macking out on eachother, naked under the sheets of your bed. And that wasn't even the worst of it. I trusted you. I loved you. I was going to ask you to marry me," Atlanta sadly looked downward. "I trusted him. He was my best friend. And after that, I lost the will do live. Did my mom tell you that I've never been out of this basement since the day I moved in? Did she tell you that the councilors and psychiatrists had to drive here to talk to me because I wouldn't dare to go outside? Why? Because I was afraid; afraid that I might somehow run into you and him, making out in the grocery store parking lot on the hood of his truck. Or maybe I was afraid I'd fall head over heels in love with another girl only to have her cheat on me with my best friend. I've never left this house for three whole entire g'damn years and all because of you, Atlanta. I loved you Atlanta and I still do."

"I love you too Arch and I'm really-"

Archie placed a finger on her lips, temporarily shushing her.

"Don't say anything. I don't want to hear it. Can we just please move on?"

"Sure thing Arch."

Archie leaned in and hugged her. She hugged back. He placed a soft kiss on the ball of her head. For that moment and on, the past was forgotten. The horrible event was now a part of history, long forgotten and erased from the memory of the two adults. It was locked in a treasure chest at the bottom of the sea and the key was thrown on the opposite side of the ocean where it was never to be found. They would never look back on the horrendous event ever again.

--

_Sometimes it's like we're deep in nothing but love__  
__The slighest thing can grow so foolishly__  
__Remind me, please___

_Oh can't you see__  
__That for worse of for better,__  
__We're better together__  
__Please, just come back home__  
__No, don't say that you're sorry__  
__You don't gotta say you're sorry, baby___

_Oh can't you see__  
__That for worse, or for better,__  
__We're better together__  
__Please, just come back home__  
__No, don't say that you're sorry__  
__And I won't say I told you so___

_And I won't say I told you so__  
__But I told you so__  
__Shoulda known better than to leave me, baby__  
__Shoulda known better than to leave me, darlin'_


End file.
